When Granger Smith’s son River drowned in June 2019 at his family’s Texas home, everything obviously changed for Smith. Almost overnight, country music was just no longer a priority.
A long road got me to this post.
AND HERE IT IS! My 10th studio album and I feel like it’s also my best. (Including Vol 2 coming later)
I’m releasing 2 of my favorites tonight (8.27) so tag a friend and lemme know if we’re on the right track! CRANK IT UP!https://t.co/fqfrtLSnXp pic.twitter.com/7QrH9YmzW8— Granger Smith (@GrangerSmith) August 27, 2020
But now, Smith is letting the music be part of his healing process, in the hopes that maybe it will do the same for his fans. Part one of Smith’s two-part studio album Country Things, Vol. 1 will be released on Sept. 25.
After losing River, and in the months Smith spent mourning his youngest son, he started to hear the music differently. Songs like “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” had taken on new meaning.
“My life is just…different now. Or maybe a better way to put it is, I see life differently now,” Smith said in a press release. “This collection focuses on the things that money and politics and status can’t buy. The things that you can center on and I want to live my life for.
“The things you want to raise your kids with and find joy in. The country things.”
The first few tracks from Country Things, Vol. 1 are out now: “Hate You Like I Love You,” “Country Things” and “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads.”
And in a recent Instagram post, Smith poured his heart out about the journey to this new music.
“A LONG road got me to this post. A lot of life has happened these past 20 months and on & off, through it all, I’ve been hunkered up in my little home studio singing about it. Sometimes I use music to forget about life. Sometimes I use it to remember it. Most times I use it to feel the emotions deeper. I think we all kinda do that,” he wrote. “All that to say, this is my 10th studio album and I feel like it’s also my best. (Including Vol 2 coming later).
“If you really want to be able to help an artist like me in this modern music world, go to wherever it is you find music (link in bio) and pre-save, pre-add, pre-order stream it off your phone and CRANK IT UP! Love y’all. Yee Yee!”